Southland, 5 Day, 6 Day, Loop trip.
The most famous packrafting loop in NZ… An incredible variety of scenery and travel, from low grade rivers, to lakes, coastlines and rugged tracks
Tag: Loop trip
Jerry River (II/IV)
West Coast, 8 Day, 9 Day, Loop trip.
A 4-5 day ‘side trip’ to the Hollyford/Pyke loop, in a remote corner of south westland.
Cascade River (II/III)
West Coast, 1 Day, 2 Day, Loop trip, Out and back, Through trip.
Challenging approaches to Intermediate paddling on a remote an scenic Westland River
Aorere (III/IV) Shakespeare Flat To Brown Hut
Tasman, 1 Day, Loop trip.
A gorgeous day trip for advanced packrafters, in Kahurangi National Park, Golden Bay
The Long Burn loop (II)
Southland, 5 Day, 6 Day, 7 day, Loop trip.
Remote 5-7 day loop through untracked Fiordland
Wairaurahiri River (II+)
Southland, 3 Day, 4 Day, 5 Day, Loop trip, Out and back, Through trip.
2-5 day options | Fiordland
A classic moderate packrafting trip.
Karamea River (V with portages)
West Coast, 6 Day, 7 day, Loop trip.
6-8 days of remote and very advanced whitewater. Great approach & great huts. West coast, Kahurangi National Park.
Poulter River (I/II) via Casey Saddle
Canterbury, 2 Day, Loop trip.
An ‘almost-loop’ trip through Arthur’s Pass mountains and braided river valleys. There are a few options for paddling the Poulter, including continuing on down the Waimakariri Gorge – check out a video by Haydn Deane of the Poulter-Waimak Gorge option on vimeo . Thanks to Michael Batchelor for the information and photos to make up…
Anatoki River (IV) below Anatoki Bend
Tasman, 1 Day, 2 Day, Loop trip.
Steep boulder gardens and spectacular gorges in this grade IV packrafting day trip in Kahurangi National Park.
The Ellery, Jackson & Arawhata Loop (I+)
West Coast, 1 Day, Loop trip.
A longish day trip, with a great variety of terrain and non-technical paddling.
South Westland
Kaipo River II/III or up to IV
Southland, 8 Day, 9 Day, Loop trip.
3-4 days side trip to the Hollyford Pyke, to explore a seldom visited valley.
Lower Slate Gorge (IV) from Moonlight Flat
Tasman, 1 Day, Loop trip.
A low-flow daytrip to a steep and beautiful gorge
Golden Bay, Tasman
Gillespie Pass circuit: Siberia Stream (I+/III-) & Wilkin River (I+)
Otago, 3 Day, 4 Day, 5 Day, Loop trip.
Aspiring NP, Otago
3-5 day options
Gorge River (III/IV)
West Coast, 7 day, Loop trip.
7 day loop in South Westland
Gorgeous gorges, up to IV
Arahura River (sections from V to II)
West Coast, 1 Day, 2 Day, 3 Day, Loop trip, Out and back, Roadside.
One of the most sought after and enjoyed runs in New Zealand: high quality, high difficulty paddling, Near Lake Kaniere, on the West Coast.
Waiau River (I/II) Te Anau Control Gates to Lake Manapouri
Southland, 1 Day, 2 Day, Loop trip, Through trip.
This section provides lots of options for trips; half day trips using shuttles or walking, full day paddles, overnight options including paddling on Manapouri itself. Despite being bordered by the Kepler track on the true right and roads on the true left, it has quite a wilderness feel, with lots of options. View Larger Topographic…
Rakaia Gorge (II)
Canterbury, 1 Day, Loop trip.
An easily accessible and short Canterbury float with reliable flows and a big water feel. Beautiful water and views and a great enjoyment-to-energy expenditure ratio. Best during weekdays to avoid large amounts of jet boat traffic. (please take a look at our general advice about Jetboats and packrafts) View Larger Topographic Map Logistics Park just…
Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River gorge (low flow III, high flow IV)
Wellington, 1 Day, Car to car, Loop trip.
A classic run on Wellington’s doorstep The gorge of Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River is a spectacular trip through native forest with a real wilderness feel. It is well known by local paddlers, as it is the closest class III water to Wellington (one hour) and has road access with a short shuttle. Te Awakairangi /…
Blue Grey River (II/III) via Robinson Valley
West Coast, 3 Day, Loop trip.
A fun loop trip in Lewis Pass, with a walk up beech forest valley and over a pass, a quick paddle across Lake Christabel and through grade 2 to 3 rapids (with some portaging). Thank you to Carey Lintott, Nicole Symon and Martin Peat for the information and photos. This keen group did the trip…
Lower Whirinaki (II/III) Okui Gorge
Bay of Plenty, 2 Day, Loop trip.
The Whirinaki River is a one of the main rivers draining Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Forest Park around 1 hour east of Rotorua. It is fed by a watershed the extends south and east from the Galatea plains past Minginui and into the forest park. With amazing bush, easy access at a number of points and…
Hope River (II+) St Jacobs Hut to the highway
Canterbury, 2 Day, Loop trip, Out and back.
Another lovely river in the Lewis Pass region. An extended but beautiful and straightforward walk in through beech forest and river flats to the comfortable, quaint St Jacob’s hut. The paddle out down the Hope river is an enjoyable mixture of open river flats with a fun gravel races and some interesting class II+ boulder…
Otaki River (III/IV) from Waitewaewae Hut to Otaki Forks
Wellington, 2 Day, Loop trip.
Historically, a classic Wellington region kayak run, it doesn’t get done very often due to the tricky flows needed and tough access. At the right flow, it’s a much more accessible packrafting trip, through a very scenic and wild gorge in the heart of the Tararuas. The trip is normally done over two days, by…
South Temple Stream (II/III-/IV)
Canterbury, 1 Day, 2 Day, Loop trip, Out and back.
A beautiful, continuous alpine rain-run The South Temple is normally a small stream, but when there’s enough water, it provides a fast, technical packrafting trip along most of its length. The out-and-return trip style means you can easily choose your trip length, depending on your motivation, flow and paddling ability. This river requires spring melt…
Lower Motatapu River (I) – Matukituki River (I) loop
Otago, 1 Day, Loop trip.
UPSTREAM STRAINER HAZARD As of 20 Dec 2021, there are at least 4 river wide strainers upstream of this section.. Downstream there are more than a few strainer hazards: In high flows, it would be difficult to avoid some of these, so be warned and avoid this unless you’ve been down recently at normal flow….
Ngaruroro River (II+/III) Boyd Hut to Kuripapango
Hawkes Bay, 2 Day, 3 Day, 4 Day, 5 Day, Loop trip, Through trip.
The Ngaruroro is one of the great wild rivers in the north island, suitable for long, relatively easy packraft trips through fantastic scenery. There are countless options for making this trip long or short, with a helicopter or fixed wing flight to the start, a car shuttle and a through trip or even doing loop…